Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Eviction Prevention Act of 2018”.
Eviction Prevention Act of 2018
A BILL
To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to States to provide the right to counsel in civil actions related to eviction, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Grants for States to provide access to counsel in civil actions related to eviction
Authorization— The Attorney General, acting through the Office for Access to Justice, is authorized to make grants to States to provide eligible individuals with access to counsel in civil actions related to eviction.
Use of funds— A State that receives a grant under this section shall use such funds to hire attorneys in positions that are dedicated solely to providing counsel described in subsection (a).
Application— A State seeking an application under this section shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably require, including—
the rate of eviction for that State; and
during the previous year, the number of individuals subject to eviction in that State who were not represented by an attorney in eviction proceedings.
Amount of grant— Subject to the availability of appropriations, a grant under this section shall be in an amount that is not less than $1,000,000, and which amount is determined based on the rate of eviction in that State, compared to the national average rate of eviction, as determined by the rates of eviction included with each application under subsection (c).
Eligible individual— In this section, the term eligible individual means an individual whose income is less than the area median income, as calculated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for the area in which the individual resides.
Authorization of appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $125,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
Sec. 3 GAO Study
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on evictions in the United States, including an analysis of ways in which the legal system fails to provide sufficient protections from eviction for tenants, the rate of representation of tenants and landlords, the effect of full representation on default rates, case outcomes, and eviction dockets as compared to cases where the tenant lacks representation or has pro se assistance, and the potential cost savings from providing representation.